Chapter 7
Billie
“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen. We have another bus en route, but it may take up to three hours for it to arrive.” Great, now I’m going to be late for my date with Carter.
This morning, he called me and told me he’s taking me out to dinner and to wear a pretty dress.
He’s been gone for work, and I haven’t seen him for like five days, and it sucks. We’ve texted and talked on the phone a lot, but in the short time I had him, I’ve missed him not being close.
I spent three days straight filling out applications at every restaurant around here, but I haven’t heard back from any of them.
After his call this morning, I got bored after job searching for a couple of hours and went shopping instead. Not the smartest thing, but I figure it won’t make that much of a difference if I gave up just a little bit of time. I went to a secondhand store and found a dress that was on clearance, but it’s fabulous. Pink and skintight, its lines are classic and not too revealing.
I grab my phone and dial Carter to let him know. “Hey, honey.”
“Hi. So, uh. I’m going to be late tonight. Heck, I might not get home at all.”
“Why not?”
I inhale deeply, the salt from the ocean tickling my nostrils.
“I’m kind of stranded.” I could take a cab, but that would cost too much money. And if we reschedule like I hope we will, I’ll still need the cash. God, I shouldn’t have bought a new dress. This would have never happened.
“What are you talking about, baby?”
“The bus I was on kind of, um, got in an accident. They’re sending another one, but it might take a couple of hours. I’m really sorry.” He doesn’t say a peep, and I’m really worried he’s mad at me. “Carter?”
“What did you just say?”
I plop down on a bench and angle my body to block the sun from my eyes. “That I might be late.”
“After that.”
“I’m sorry?” I laugh, thinking he’s joking around.
He practically growls, “No. Before you said I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“They might take a couple of hours to send a new bus.”
He grumbles something incoherent. “Why the fuck are you on a bus?”
“Because I needed to go to the store.”
“Why did you take a bus to the store?”
“Because I don’t have a car. What do you want me to say?”
The sound of an engine turning over drowns him out.
“What?”
“Where are you?”
“Fairview Drive at the beach.”
He inhales sharply. “I’ll be there in about twenty.”
“I’ll be here.” He hangs up, and I kick my shoes off and put them in my bag. The sand tickles my toes, and I dig them in farther, then close my eyes and angle my head up, enjoying the sun on my face. I walk to the shoreline and jump back when a wave crashes up.
I stroll down the beach toward the end where there are fewer people and hope I’ll be able to find him when he parks. Kids run by me laughing as they jump in the water, and I can’t help but smile at them. I’ve never thought about having kids myself, mostly because I never thought I’d find a man I wanted to have a family with.
“Billie,” Carter calls my name, and I turn around, using my hand to shield the sun. “Let’s go.”
I start heading in his direction, and the closer I get, the more I notice how tightly he’s wound up. What the heck is up with that? “Are you okay?”
He leans over and reaches for me, keeping his feet off the sand. “Hurry up. Let’s go.”
I take a step back and shake my head. “What’s wrong? You’re freaking me out.”
His chest is raising and lowering so fast he looks like he just ran a marathon. “Please, just come with me.” He drops his arm as he pleads with me.
“Why won’t you come over here?”
“I don’t wanna be here. I don’t like beaches and water and anything that has to do with them.”
“I thought you said that Jaws place was your favorite place in the world.” Carter’s been very tight-lipped about his past. I don’t think he’s hiding something from me; I think he’s holding it in. There’s a huge difference between the two.
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why I said that. You make me drop my guard, and I say things I shouldn’t. Please, baby. Just come to me.”
I don’t like this side of him. It hurts me to see him hurting, so I go to him. He practically yanks me into his arms and holds me super tight. His lips find the top of my head, and he just holds me for a minute. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
Then he leads me to his Jeep, and as soon as we’re driving away, he reaches over and holds my hand. “I had no idea you didn’t have a car. You’re not taking the bus anymore.”
Okay, that was a quick change of subject. “I kind of have to.”
“Not anymore.”
“Carter, I don’t have a car.”
He glances over at me and smirks. “Good thing I have two cars.”
“Excuse me?”
“I have the Jeep and two cars. You can drive one of mine; you’re not taking the bus anymore. Too dangerous.”
“I’ve ridden the bus almost every day for three years and been just fine.”
The smirk falls. “The first night, outside the restaurant, were you leaving for the bus?”
“Yeah?”
“Dammit. Why didn’t you say something? I thought you were waiting for someone, not to get on public transportation with all the nutjobs.”
“I was fine.”
“Now you’ll be better than fine. Well… we’ll see how you do actually driving in this crazy traffic.”
He’s lost his mind. I’m not driving one of his cars, so I just change the subject. “How was work?”
“Same thing I told you yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. Monotonous. But I’m damn glad to be home.”
I smile as I tilt my head back, letting the wind blow my hair and the sun warm my face. “I’m glad you’re home, too.”
The rest of the drive is fast, and he tries to sneak into my place when we get there, but I push him out. “I need to change.”
“I can help you.”
Tempting, so tempting. But I want more than just sex with him. As fantastic as it is, I need to know he wants more than that, too. “I just need a half hour.”
“Fine.” He pushes open my door and kisses me before tapping my butt. “I’ll be back.”
I rush to the bathroom and lean against the counter. My cheeks are pink, and my eyes are clearer than they have ever been. As I stare at myself longer, I somber, feeling guilty for enjoying myself when I know my mom isn’t. If anything, things probably got worse after I left, but I have to remind myself she wanted this for me.
When we would sit on my bed together and watch soap operas on the grainy, twelve-inch TV on my dresser, she’d tell me that I should have a life like the women on those programs. I should be with a man who would shoot his brother if he tried to harm me. The kind of guy who cherishes me.
That’s what motivates me to keep going. And with Carter, not only do I really, really like him, but I feel like this is part of what my mom wanted for me. She wanted me to be happy so I’d be doing her a disservice if I ignored this thing between Carter and me.
I get ready fast and take twenty minutes to curl my hair, then another five doing makeup. Carter knocks on my door just as I’m applying my gloss, and I slide my Keds on as I’m hopping to the door.
“You look incredible.” He hands me a single rose, and I duck my head as I take it from him, oddly shy around him even though he walked me to my door less than an hour ago after basically telling me he was giving me one of his cars. One of… because he has more than one car. I’m not taking it, but just the fact that he’d offer is insane.
“Thank you.” I find a cup to put the flower in and set it in the center of my kitchen table. “You look really good yourself.” He’s always so handsome, but tonight, instead of his usual board shorts and t-shirt, he’s wearing a pair of gray dress pants and a turquoise short-sleeved button shirt. The color brings out the brightness in his eyes and makes his skin look even tanner.
“Did I tell you I missed you when I was gone?”
“Yeah.”
“We need to leave; otherwise, I’m gonna shove that skirt up and bend you over the table.”
I bite my lip when the thought of that does more to turn me on than deter me. “Billie.”
“Okay, okay.”
He holds his hand out for me, and I love how he automatically reaches for me. We get outside, and he leads me to a dark silver car. “Is this yours?”
“Yeah, but you can drive it instead of taking the bus.”
“Oh, no.”
“Uh, yeah.”
He gives my hand a gentle but firm squeeze. “It’s not up for discussion. You aren’t taking the bus anymore, so don’t even argue.”
“But it’s… it looks really expensive.”
“That’s ’cause it is.”
“What is it?”
“Audi.”
I pause at the door and admire the dark silver paint and sleek lines. “It’s pretty.”
“Gotta be able to hold a candle to the only woman who’s ever been in it.” Then he opens my door and helps lower me into the seat, which is so low I feel like I’m sitting on the curb.
He presses a button and then turns the volume down on the radio, resting his hand on my thigh when he’s not shifting. Perfect.
I clear my throat, and with triumph, I tell him, “I don’t know how to drive one of these, so I guess I’ll just have to take the bus.”
He laughs, the beautiful sound bouncing off the black leather interior. “I’ll teach you, but in the meantime, I’ll give you the WRX.”
“What’s that?”
“A car. Hey, I should have asked before, but is there any kind of food you don’t like?”
He’s a good subject changer. “Sushi.” I shiver. “I hate sushi.”
“You ever tried it before?”
“Yes, and I swear, Carter, I threw up in my mouth. It was disgusting.”
He looks over at me while we’re at a stoplight. “Noted.”
“But other than that, I’m not picky, which you’ve obviously seen.”
“I do love the way you devour food, honey.”
“I think I like it a little too much.”
He snorts. “Not sure that’s possible.”
“It totally is. I wouldn’t be so… round if I didn’t eat so much.”
His head jerks back and hits the headrest. “You didn’t just fuckin’ say that,” he mumbles under his breath, taking a corner sharp enough to make my butt slide on the leather seat. “You’re fuckin’ beautiful. Every single inch of you and every part of you. I love that you enjoy food as much as I do, and I fuckin’ love your body. Don’t talk shit about yourself like that, got me?”
I dreamed of a perfect man. When I was about fifteen, when things were getting worse and out of control, was when it started. I dreamed that one day I’d have a man who loved me for who I was and would never want to hurt me. But as the years went on, I gave up on that dream. Until now. I don’t want to jinx it, but I think I found him. I think maybe my dream might come true after all. “Yeah,” I whisper. “I got you.”
“Good.”
He pulls up to the front of a restaurant that reminds me a little bit of the White House, where a valet comes and opens my door. I’m so out of my element because I should get out, but I’m afraid I’m going to flash something with how low this car is. Luckily, Carter meets me around and helps me out of the car by basically pulling me up, then he takes my arm as we walk inside. “Mr. Cane. Nice to see you this evening. Follow me, your table is ready.”
I glance up at him and wonder how they know who he is and why he doesn’t seem weirded out by the fact that they call him mister as we’re led to the back and seated. The tables are all square and have black tablecloths and white napkins folded like a piece of origami. Shiny silverware and fancy wine glasses are on opposite sides of each other, and a single silver candle sits in the middle of the place settings. A waiter comes over, wearing black pants and a crisp white shirt, and offers a smile, then silently pours us each a glass of wine and walks away.
There are no menus at the table, nor did the hostess hand us one. Carter lifts his glass and tips it toward me. I do the same, and when the glasses clink together, he licks his lips. “Cheers, baby.” How he manages to make me always want to jump his bones is crazy.
I want to ask him so much, but a man in a suit with salt and pepper hair comes up to our table, and Carter stands. “Hey, man. How’s it goin’?” They shake hands, and he introduces me immediately. “This is my girl, Billie. Honey, this is my old manager, Jack Rodriguez.”
Manager?
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I answer with a smile.
He raises a brow, and Carter smirks. “Shut it.”
Jack holds his hands up. “I didn’t say a word.”
“No, but you were going to.”
My eyes bounce back and forth like I’m watching a ping-pong match.
“Was not.”
“Jack.” That’s all Carter says before Jack laughs.
“Good to see, Car, really good to see. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
The waiter comes to our table, and Jack takes a step back. “We’ll talk soon. It was nice meeting you, Billie.”
“Your salads.” Plates are set in front of us as Carter sits back down.
When the waiter walks away, I finally give in and ask, “Why does everyone seem to know you, and how come our food is being brought to us without us even looking at a menu? And why did you have a manager?”
“I called ahead and I used to surf.”
“Are you always so forthcoming with information?”
He stabs his fork in the lettuce. “You don’t even have the slightest idea how much you’ve gotten from me. More than anyone, babe. I mean that. Trust me to take this where I know it needs to go.”
The salad is super flavorful, and I mumble something of an agreement as I’m chewing because he hasn’t steered me wrong so far. He hasn’t pushed me for details about me or my past, so I need to stop doing that to him.
He’s able to successfully steer the conversation in a positive direction as we discuss my audition, and he tells me about the senator’s event he’s been working on. The waiter brings our dinner, and the special for the evening is beef wellington. I moan and tell Carter I’ve never had a more delicious piece of meat in my mouth before.
He raises his brows, and says, “We’ll be changing that tonight.”
I should have known better, but with the way it melted in my mouth, I didn’t even think before I said it. “You really do find a way to turn everything into a sexual innuendo.”
“It’s a gift.”
“Whatever, perv.”
He winks, and we finish eating, then I pass on dessert. Questions about the events of our dinner seem invalid at this point. As we’re driving away from the restaurant, he asks, “You still good to go grab a drink at House?”
“Yes.” I get giddy in my seat, excited to finally see the inside of this bar. The glass of wine I sipped during dinner helps, too. “I’ve always wanted to go inside, but I wasn’t going to pay the cover just to walk around. I was tempted when I turned twenty-one, but then decided against it.”
“When was your birthday?”
I wave my hand in the air. “Almost a year ago.”
He parks the car in the gated parking lot and brings his hand up to my face. “You’re just a baby.”
“How old are you?”
“Probably too old for you.” He pulls me closer and gently kisses me. “Twenty-eight.” He takes the keys out of the ignition and tells me to wait, then comes around and helps me out, which I’m grateful for. I’d be stuck if he didn’t since I have an extra few pounds in my belly now.
When we walk to the front of the house turned bar, he bypasses the line and simply does a chin lift with the bouncer as he opens the door for me. The moment I step foot inside the bar, he has his hand at my waist and is leading me through the crowd.
I peek in some of the rooms as we pass. He stops at one, and we laugh as two guys are having a dance off on one of those arcade games. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”
Following him to the other end of the house, I blink to adjust to the dimness of the room we just walked into. A DJ sits atop a small part of the stage in front of a crowded dance floor. “What do you want to drink?”
I didn’t even realize we stopped, so I turn to him. “Uh… something fruity?”
He licks his lips and pulls me closer to him. “Corona and… sex on the beach.”
“A what?” I giggle as the bartender walks away.
“Sex on the beach. You’ll like it. Fruity and not too strong. I plan to get you off a lot tonight, and if you’re too drunk, then that can’t happen.”
“Carter.” I slap his chest and lean into him. “Don’t say things like that.”
“Why?” He sets some cash on the bar top and takes our drinks. “It’s true.”
How does he manage to give me the world just by looking at me? I feel so… free with him. Safe and cherished. I wish it was the same for him, but even through the great dinner, he still had that invisible shield up. I want to be able to break through it, but until the time is right, I’ll just have to wait. I take my drink and suck up a tentative sip, the sweet and slightly tart flavors tantalizing my taste buds. “Okay, this is really good.”
“Told ya.”
“Thank you.”
He brushes some of my hair off my shoulder. “You’re welcome.”
I don’t hold back and lean up on the tips of my tennies to kiss him. He grabs me tighter and deepens the kiss, making me moan against him. I’m bumped into by a drunk girl, “Shit. Sorry. Oh em gee. You’re so cute.” She points at my dress. “I wish I could pull that look off. Where’s the bathroom?”
Carter points down the hallway, and she stumbles as she walks away. “Not many people can pull this off, but you do make it look mighty fine, baby.” He traces the hem of the pink fabric. I wasn’t sure if I’d be fancy enough with my white Keds, but he didn’t even blink when he opened my door. “Come on, I wanna show you something.”
He leads me even farther into the house, an old Queen Anne, and a gust of wind hits me as we exit to the backyard. “Is this where they have concerts?”
“Yeah. Have you ever gone to the roof of our apartment building and watched one?”
“No. I hear the music, though, sometimes.” I like the busyness of where I live. It makes me feel not as alone as I really am.
His arm snakes around my waist and pulls me back as a slew of people crosses the path in front of us. The girls are all dressed in super-short skirts and have their boobs hanging out. I peek down at my dress and suddenly feel homely. “I’ll have to take you up there sometime. It’s pretty rad, to be honest.”
I snort I laugh so hard when he says rad. He puts me in a gentle headlock and messes up my hair, then kisses me again before we continue down the path. The backyard looks like an outdoor arena; lighted stage, grassy area in the front, and toward the back are rows and rows of seats. But at the side, tables line the perimeter, and that’s where he’s leading me.
“Shit, sorry. Didn’t know they were gonna be here tonight.” He walks me closer to the stage and to a table with a few other people at it. “Guys, this is Billie. Billie this is Q, Gio, and Brenden.”
“Hey, guys. Nice to meet you.” I greet shyly.
Gio smiles, his white teeth bling against his tan skin. “Such a quiet voice for a girl with such big—”
Carter reaches around me and slaps Gio upside his head. “Shut the fuck up.”
“What? You can’t tell me you’ve never heard that saying.”
“I have, but you need to keep your fuckin’ eyes off and your mouth shut before I do it for you.”
“What saying?” I take a sip of my drink. “The one about how the bigger the boobs are, the louder we talk?”
“Christ,” Carter mumbles.
Gio smirks, and it makes him even more handsome. “Yeah, that one.”
I put a hand on Carter’s arm and whisper loudly, “You don’t have any complaints about how loud I can get, do you?”
The other guys at the table howl out in laughter, and Carter drops his head. Gio slowly nods as a smile creeps up his lips. “Do you have a sister?”
“Nope.”
The crowd around us starts cheering, and I’m pulled back into Carter’s arms. “I know you’re tipsy, and you know I’m here so I’d never let anything happen to you, but you need to watch how you talk to guys you don’t even know.”
I turn around. “I grew up with the worst kind of men you could think of, Carter. Trust me, I might not look it, but I can hold my own, and I have good judgment.” I was apprehensive of him at first, but not because I was afraid of him. It was more because I didn’t think someone like him could like little old me. “I know your friends aren’t gonna hurt me. I would never say something like that to a stranger.”
“Good. And in that case, we’re gonna see just how loud you can get later.”
Carter
“Oh my gosh, is this Broken Heart Renegades?”
“Yeah, I thought you might like to see them.” They’re one of the hottest crossover country/pop bands out right now.
She kisses me quick. “Thank you!”
She continually amazes me. I was ready to beat the shit out of Gio, but the verbal smackdown she laid on him was even better.
The table we’re at is one reserved for Royal because when there’s a concert, there’s usually someone here watching. “Dude.” Brenden nods his head at Billie, who’s gone a couple of feet in front of me and is swaying to the music.
“I know.”
“So she’s why you’ve been so edgy lately?” Gio accuses as he looks in the direction of Billie.
That’s one way to put it. “Yup.”
“I’m thrilled for you, man. She seems sweet, she’s beautiful, and she’s got—”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Watch your mouth, Gio. I’m not fuckin’ around.”
He holds his hands up. “I was going to say… she’s got an innocent quality to her that makes you just wanna protect her. Hard to find nowadays.”
“For sure.”
The band switches the beat, and the music slows. Billie turns to me and pouts, holding her hands together in front of her chest. “Think your girl wants you to dance with her.”
“No shit.”
“If you don’t want to, I will.”
I punch Gio in the stomach as I walk by him and pull Billie into my arms. “Hi.”
“Hi yourself, handsome.”
She giggles and rests her head on my chest, her body fitting perfectly against mine. I wrap her up and sway to the music, not giving one shit that the assholes I work with are taking pictures and, no doubt, blasting them in a fucking email to the entire company.
Ever since I lost Zoe, and so publicly, I’ve made it a point to keep my private life just that. Admittedly, there’s been a lack of anything to keep private. I love my job, love the guys I work with, but they do not need to know who’s in my bed and how often she’s there.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” Her hair falls down her back when she looks up at me, and I glide my fingers through the dark strands.
“You’re welcome.”
Her lazy smile tells me she’s feeling her liquor, and I grab her hand and bring her back to the table with me to get some water. Q gets off his stool for her. “Thank you,” she says, and then plops down and takes a sip of the bottled water I handed her. I stand behind her with a protective hand on her shoulder, warning off any motherfucker who’d think to get near.
We all sit around and shoot the shit, and it’s totally chill. She’s super laid back, and I can tell the guys like her. One of the band’s most popular songs starts, and she hops off the stool. “Who knows how to line dance?”
All the guys avoid eye contact with her, and I finally speak up. “I am not getting dragged into that shit. Sorry, honey, you’re on your own. But keep your pretty little face where I can see it.”
“Fine.” She sashays her fine ass to the edge of the dance floor, and I grind my teeth together at the way other men watch her. Luckily for them, they keep their distance. As soon as she finds the beat she’s looking for, she starts doing some kind of dance. A couple of other people get in line next to her and join in, turning and shit in sync.
“Damn, she seriously lives in our building?” Gio watches her toss her hair back as she twirls around.
“Yup. Right across the hall from me.”
He clicks his tongue. “I was supposed to get your unit too, asshole.”
“What would it matter? You’d only have wanted to fuck her, then never see her again.”
He shrugs. “You’re not wrong.”
“Who wants to dance?” A girl comes up to our table wearing a black mini skirt and a red tube top with matching nails and lips. Gio whips his head around, eye-fucks her, then offers her his signature smirk. He grabs her around the waist and whispers something in her ear, making her giggle, then salutes us as he walks away. Not surprising.
“That took longer than I thought.” Q laughs, swirling the ass end of his beer. “I’m surprised his ass made it out to the table.” We all chuckle along with him, but mine dies when I see a group of guys inching their way toward Billie. She’s totally oblivious, dancing and smiling with the girl next to her. One of them gets closer and tries to casually bump into her. Jesus, can’t take my eyes off her for thirty seconds.
Brenden follows my death stare and hits me in the side with his elbow. “You’re gonna have to make a statement.”
“Sure. I’ll just go piss on her.”
He shrugs. “If it’ll keep the other dogs away, I’d do it.”
“Nah,” Q butts in. “You gotta show your girl you trust her. Don’t make her think you think she can’t handle herself, or she’ll get sick of that shit real quick. Look at her.” He lifts his chin in Billie’s direction where she’s still moving to the music in a more robotic sense as the guy finally makes his approach. “She’s clearly not acting interested, but you can tell she’s a friendly person, so she’s not gonna be a straight-up bitch and reject him.”
“She won’t, but she also just had to deal with her boss touchin’ her, so before this guy does something that’ll force me to have to step in, I’m gonna grab her and get outta here.”
They both rear their heads back, and Q’s neck gets red. “You didn’t take care of that fucker yet?”
“Oh, trust me, I will.”
“What happened?” Brenden reaches over and grabs his beer from the table.
Billie glances up at me, and a sense of relief crosses her face before she smiles as she takes a step back from the guy. Yeah, I’d love nothing more than to charge up there, ram my fist in his face, and throw her over my shoulder, but I have a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate that. And I don’t want to scare her, either. He keeps a respectable distance, but it’s still too close for my liking, so before I go to her, I tell the guys about Pax. “He cornered her and got in her face for being late, then told her there were ways she could make it up to him. When she didn’t bite, he put his hands on her and shit.”
“He’s still breathing because…?”
“Because he’s flagged,” Q states.
“Whose flag?”
“Erik,” we answer in unison.
Brenden sighs. “Fuck. You know why?”
I hitch my thumb at Q. “He does. I haven’t talked to Erik yet.”
“Why the hell not?”
“I’m gonna deal with him, trust me. Unlike you, I have this little thing called patience. I almost lost my shit in front of her when we went back to get her stuff, but she’s got a history with abuse, so I wasn’t about to beat his ass with her right there. I’d rather give the fucker some time to live in fear ’cause he knows I’m coming for him, just not when.”
“True that,” Q agrees. “Revenge should be smarter, not faster.”
Brenden whistles. “That’s deep, man,” he jokes.
“It’s true. So many of you fuckers have such short fuses you don’t get to enjoy the anticipation of the actual explosion.”
“On that note”—I laugh—“I’m gonna grab her and get outta here.” I can’t wait to get inside her any longer.
I feel my temper rising at the fact that it’s been like a full two minutes and this guy hasn’t taken the hint. It’s not like me not to jump in right away, but I wanted to give her a second because she’s constantly saying she doesn’t need my help. I don’t want to make her feel like I think she’s incompetent.
But when I get within hearing distance, and I hear their conversation, that’s when my patience vaporizes.
“So if you’re not here with your boyfriend, who are you here with?”
My hand finds her waist, and I slide it around to her stomach and pull her against me. She tilts her head back and flashes a smile. I don’t reciprocate because I’m too busy having a nonverbal conversation with the guy trying to pick her up at the same time trying to cool my temper.
He lifts his chin in realization and walks away.
“We’re leaving.” I take her hand and lead her through the yard and out the side exit to the sidewalk. The seconds that tick by are like a time bomb building pressure. She told him she wasn’t here with her boyfriend.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“Shush, honey.”
“Why are you mad?”
I hold her away from the curb as a car passes before we cross the street. “Who’d you tell him you were there with?” I’m wound up tight and hot now, adrenaline pumping through me like I’ve never felt before. Even riding waves never gave me this rush… the high of needing to be with her is incomparable.
“I didn’t mean—”
“I stood back. Waited a minute to give you the chance to get rid of him, and that was harder than I thought it’d be. Not only is it my job as a bodyguard to keep unwanted attention off my clients, but as your man, it’s my obligation. That shit would never happen at work; it should damn well never fucking ever happen to you.”
“I was fine. I’ve dealt with—”
I shake my head. “He was fine ’cause he thought he had a shot because you told him you weren’t there with a man.”
She sucks in a breath, finally understanding the shift in my mood. “Carter, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Exactly.”
We get to the stairs, and I hurry us up them, and then when we get to my place, I lift her up and press her against the door before I even turn the lights on. “What are you doing?” She gasps and wraps her legs around my hips.
“I still can’t decide if I like the fact that you have no fuckin’ clue how beautiful you are.”
Her tongue darts out, moistening her top lip. “Carter.”
“On one hand, I know you’re not playing games with me. Deep down in my gut, I know what’s happening is real. But on the other.” I run my nose along her jaw, loving the way she smells, like the fresh flowers she always has on her kitchen table. “You’re so oblivious to the effect you have on people that it’s just a matter of time before you realize it, and when you do, I’m afraid you’ll leave me for some other bastard who can give you the goddamned world.”
“I don’t need the world, Carter.”
I rest my forehead on hers. “What do you need?”
“For you to answer my question.”
“What question is that?”
Her head tilts up, lips ghosting over mine. “What are you doing?”
I breathe her in and absorb the sweetness that comes with her. “Making you scream.” Making you mine. I yank her underwear, ripping them in half, and then drop my pants. I take the time to slide on a condom before I slide into her, already wet for me. I drop my head, nipping and sucking the skin on her neck. “Fuck,” I growl. “So good.”
“Yes.”
“Nobody else gets you.”
She places her hands on my face, her gentle touch reassuring. “Only you,” she pants and tosses her head back. “Just you.”
I bring my hand between us and find her sweet spot. “There it is.”
Her head falls back and hits the door.
“Let me hear it, baby.”
“Carter.”
“Fuck, yeah. I’m right here.”
Her nails dig into my back, and she moans long and low. “Oh, Lord.”
“Give it to me. I want it, Billie. I fuckin’ want it.”
“Oh, shit,” she screams and clenches around me, which makes me see stars. Much as I want to be like this forever, she takes me right along with her, and I pound into her a few more times before I let go inside her.
I pull my head back and kiss her forehead, then her nose. She drops her legs and runs her hands through her hair. “You ripped my underwear.”
“I know. Probably won’t be the last time if you keep wearing these hot ass little dresses.”
“I don’t plan on changing my wardrobe anytime soon.”
“That’s good, honey, ‘cause I really like your clothes… I like everything about you. You’re funny as hell.” I kiss the corner of her mouth. “I haven’t laughed as much in the past decade as I have in the past week with you. You are the sweetest woman I know; you’re beautiful, you’re smart, and I’m totally claiming you. Right here. Right now. If I wasn’t clear before, you’re mine, Billie.”